Dive Sites

Sport Divers will love the incredible diversity of marine life here in New Brunswick, and underwater photographers will have an unlimited supply of macro subjects. From the incredible Atlantic Wolf Fish, to the many lobsters that roam the bottom.. there is something to delight everyone. There are fish like the Ocean Pout, Lump Fish, Rose Fish, Rock Fish and Spiny Lumpsuckers. There are areas of Soft Red Coral carpeting the bottom, where Basket Stars spread their arms to feed on the constant flow of nutrients.

LAKES, QUARRIES AND RIVER

Fresh water diving has benefits! We have numerous sites near the Fredericton area and these are excellent for getting much needed bottom time, checking out equipment, training and practising skills, scrounging for artifacts and history, sturgeon diving, or just a lazy drift dive in "warmer" summer water. Some divers use the sites as a great fresh-water-rinse on just-ocean-dived gear. Whatever your reason, don't overlook these great site options.

BAY OF FUNDY

The Bay of Fundy offers the most variety and density of marine life near areas like the southern point of Deer Island and Casco Bay Island. These sites are subjected to extremely strong current during the moving of the tides, so caution is required by divers in these areas, and inexperienced divers must go with a local dive buddy or guide to avoid problems.

New Brunswick mainland sites such as New River Beach and Beaver Harbour do not have near the mass of colour and density, but still offer divers an excellent sampling and underwater photography opportunities. These sites are also desired for their more "gentle" pull as the massive Bay of Fundy tides are moving, and are frequently used for student diver check-out dives.

A popular site for a "quick easy dive" has been New River Beach, as it is close to Saint John and even a reasonable drive from Fredericton. It is not deep (~20ish fsw at high tide), and an easy entry so used frequently by divers practicing skills. In 2014, the Artificial Reef Society of NB has placed the initial reef blocks for "Reid's Reef". This site is particularly suseptible to poor visibility following heavy rain or high wind. This is also a provincial park with overnight camping.

Beaver Harbour has long been a favourite of divers across central and southern NB. It often has better visibility than the other Fundy Shore sites but with high wind from any exposure other than Westerly it can blow out or have strong surge making entry difficult. It can only be accessed by crossing private land now though, so access may become blocked in future years. For now, the owners have permitted divers to access the private beach for diving via Lighthouse Road.

Wallace Cove (Black's Harbour) is near the Grand Manan ferry terminal so can even be a planned dive while waiting for the ferry! Often the visibility is poor here though, unfortunate as the site seems to attract a number of marine critters and it can be quite an interesting dive.

McCann Head (Fundy Shore)

McCann Head is accessed via a public access road in Chamcook. The site is at the end of Dock Road, which is also a public boat launch site. Caution is needed for boats entering and exiting the water. This is an easy dive site for all diver levels with a gradual sloping bottom.

Deer Island, New Brunswick

Dive sites on Deer Island should only be attempted by Advanced level divers experienced with diving in cold water, low visibility, and strong current. The extreme tidal range combined with the deep walls around the southern tip of the island, result in dangerously strong currents.

During the summer (approx mid-June to mid-Sep) it is possible to take a ferry from Deer Island over to Eastport (there is a small fee for this ferry) Note:This ferry has been discontinued through 2018, please call ahead to East Coast Ferries to see if the ferry is available. Off-season, one must drive through St.Stephen/Calais. There are a few sites to dive, but the most popular has to be the "Old Pier" site off Sea Street. This site can only be dove on slack tide, this is important!

Pettes Cove is a very accessible shore dive site on Grand Manan, which is a beautiful island in the Bay of Fundy rich in scenery and maritime history. Shore scuba diving is limited to a few quiet coves, there is no charter service on the island to access any of the historical shipwreck sites. For non-divers, the island boasts a number of hiking trails, whale watching, and other activities.

Northern New Brunswick

Atlas Park is located in Pointe-Verte NB, and is the only PADI Recreational Dive Facility in the Maritimes. The Park is built around a flooded rock quarry which is now a recreational lake for several activities including SCUBA diving. Gear rentals, air/nitrox fills, and a COJO Diving retail store is on site to ensure all diver needs are met.

The North Shore is best described as the area within the northeastern part of New Brunswick, and includes the shoreline which borders on Chaleur Bay. The North Shore faces the southern shore of Quebec's Gaspe Peninsula. Several easily accessed shore dive sites are possible in this area.